Bob Finnan's 3 points and NBA rumor mill

Bob Finnan's weekly look at what's hot, what's not, what you didn't know -- and what you might not want to know -- about the NBA.

Cavs forward LeBron James said there's a reason he's never entered the slam dunk contest. "I've never been a dunk contest type of jumper," he said. "I'm an in-game (dunker). I never know what dunk I'm doing until I do it. You have to plan for a dunk contest, and I've never been able to do that."

Why does James perform so well in the All-Star setting? Is his game geared toward playing with those kinds of players? "I just like to compete," he said.

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James said there won't be much defense played in tonight's All-Star game until the fourth quarter. It might drive Coach Mike Brown batty to just sit back and let the players play.

Rumor mill

-- John Paxson is strongly considering resigning his title as Bulls general manager, possibly at the end of the season. Perhaps he's not up to the huge task of rebuilding the Bulls into a contender.

-- The only way Raptors forward/center Chris Bosh will be traded is if Bosh or his agent tells the Raptors he wants out of Toronto, and that hasn't happened.

-- It seems to make a lot of sense and the contracts line up, but don't expect the Wizards to trade for Bulls guard Larry Hughes. One report had them sending Etan Thomas and Mike James to Chicago for the ex-Cavs guard. The Wizards want salary-cap relief this summer.

-- Even though former team president Jerry West had already left the Grizzlies, many around the league think he orchestrated the lopsided Pau Gasol trade with the Lakers last year. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak should be commended for the deal because the Lakers might win a championship because of it. League executives are still steamed about the uneven deal -- Gasol for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and the rights to his brother, Marc Gasol.

-- There is speculation Suns coach Terry Porter will be fired. One incorrect report had Suns president Steve Kerr taking his place. If Porter is fired -- a long shot right now because of the money left on his contract -- assistant coach Alvin Gentry might replace him. Firing Porter would mean eating the last two years of a three-year, $7 million contract and then paying someone else.

-- The Pacers barred point guard Jamaal Tinsley from training camp and he wasn't included in their media guide. He reportedly receives checks for $260,000 every two weeks for staying home. The players' association took the first step in trying to resolve Tinsley's situation when it filed a grievance on his behalf against the Pacers. There was talk last week that the Pacers would try to deal Tinsley for Bobcats guard Raymond Felton. Why would the Bobcats do that?

-- The Spurs contacted New Jersey about the availability of veteran guard Vince Carter. There have also been some unconfirmed reports that they've talked to the Pistons about forward/center Rasheed Wallace.

-- According to a story in the Sports Business Journal, TNT plans to bring Charles Barkley back to its "Inside the NBA" studio show soon after today's All-Star game.